Reliving the Nightmare
by RicardianScholar Clark-Weasley
Summary: instead of erasing or changing memories, Adam makes the team remember the Year That Never Was. warnings: character deaths, implied torture and rape.


It was a normal day without the excitement.

This meant they were stuck to their desks doing paperwork. Adam was flirting with Tosh while Ianto flitted around the Hub handing out coffee and Jack was perving at them from his office.

Gwen was smothering a yawn when Owen suddenly walked up to her with some sort of psychotic worried look in his eye. He knelt down beside her, rolled up her jeans over her knee and sighed.

"You're fine" he muttered.

And then walked back towards the autopsy room.

"Ok...and that wasn't weird at all" Gwen muttered turning back to her computer screen.

*

_They were running from his goons. Faceless men who were either too scared or too malicious to do anything but obey him. Tosh and Ianto had already escaped and were probably waiting for them in their designated point. _

_BANG!_

_Gwen stumbled as her knee gave in. She bit her lip trying to not scream. _

"_Son of a bitch!" Owen snarled whirling round and shooting the guy in the arm. He then helped Gwen up. "Come on freckles, we don't have time to check it out right now"_

"_Fucking hurts" she growled as she leaned on him. _

*

The quiet murmuring of Adam and Tosh mixed with Gwen's typing had been broken by a loud crash. They all turned to see Ianto staring blankly at the wall, broken china at his feet and warm brown liquid seeping into his shoe.

"Yan, you're all right?"

He shuddered and Gwen stood up alarmed. Tosh had already made it there and Adam was shortly behind her.

"Ianto" Tosh whispered, her hand reaching out towards him.

He was crying. "That poor girl. That poor little girl. What did she ever do to you?" he sobbed.

*

_He didn't know the language of this country. He wasn't overly sure where he was either. It was somewhere in Eastern Europe, probably Estonia or something, he wasn't sure. It was unnerving to not know. He's used to knowing everything in general. _

_Gwen was out there somewhere. Recruiting or pulled into another save the world mission. Owen was helping out some doctors' steal medical supplies and Tosh was trying to hack into the Valiant while running so she would never be caught. _

_They had arranged to meet somewhere. It was hard with mobiles being tracked through the Arch-Angel Network and they had to rely on written or spoken messages with people who might or might not live long enough to give them. _

"_Ianto" _

_He turned to see a little child. No older than seven. She knew a little English; just enough to say hello and how are you? But it was enough to keep him company. _

"_Katrina" he said smiling gently. "You should not be out here, it's unsafe"_

_She blinked. "No?" she said uncertainly. _

"_Not safe" he repeated. "Let's go back"_

_He took her hand and led her away from the stream and back towards the village. The stream wasn't far, just a couple miles walk but once he had gotten there men in black. Men that worked for the Master were hauling out the old and the young, yelling and threatening them with their guns. _

_He didn't have any bullets. _

"_Hey, you!" one yelled. "You're that Jones guy"_

"_He's over there" another shouted. _

"_Katrina, go home" Ianto said urgently before he made a run for it. _

"_Ianto!"_

_BANG!_

_He turned and to his horror, there was a little girl lying on the floor. A little girl lying on a puddle of blood. A little girl so obviously dead. _

"_No!"_

*

It was getting late and Adam was the only one ready to leave. Gwen was resting her head against the desk, Ianto was hiding somewhere, Owen had yet to leave the autopsy room again and Tosh was working on something.

"Who's up for a drink? I think we deserve a night out don't you?"

No answer. Adam struggled to hide a satisfied smile, he knew he would be having a strong affect on such interesting people but he never thought he would shut them up. He was considering making Tosh his girlfriend, just so he can enjoy the pleasures of the flesh. Humans seemed too obsessed with that activity.

"Toshiko" he said touching her shoulder.

She grabbed his hand and, with such strength that he never thought she would be capable with, she flung him onto her desk, sending her computer flying to the floor.

"Oh..." she whispered. "Oh god, I'm so sorry, really I don't know what came over me. Are you ok Adam?"

"Ouch..." Adam whimpered.

He then decided it was safer to stay away from Tosh. God knows what sort of dangerous bondage the quiet woman was into. He had sensitive skin and didn't want it to be blemished!

*

_She slipped through the dark alleyways silently. Left, right, left, left again, another right, it was a maze of backstreets. She could hear the shouts of the men she was trying to lose, quick another right, they were getting closer and closer. She can hear footsteps of one of them. _

_She turned another right and almost cursed loudly when she realised she was at a dead end. No where to go...unless...she glanced up at the fire escape, a black ladder was folded up just a couple feet above her. _

_A hand touched her shoulder._

_Immediately she grabbed his hand and swung whoever it was over her shoulder. _

"_Bloody hell!" _

"_Owen?!" she gasped. _

_Owen sat up rubbing the back of his head, scowling. "Jeeze woman, how strong are you?"_

_She blushed lightly. "I had been encourage to learn martial arts for my own safety as a child"_

"_Whatever" he grumbled as he stood up. He looked at her with a look she couldn't identify. It was lust but it was something just as desperate and wanting. "Tosh..." he then gruffly pulled her into an embrace and muttered something she couldn't quite hear. _

_She thinks it might be I miss you. _

*

"Jeeze woman, how strong are you?" Owen said from the entrance. He looked half impressed and half terrified.

Tosh shuddered. "Sorry," she mumbled, "I just had a strange feeling of déjà vu"

"You all seem out of it" Jack said from the stairs to his office, they all turned and looked at him with a strange look. Hate, desperation, love, anger, hope and gratefulness all mixed into one. He blinked and they all looked normal once again. "Go home, have a good dinner and get a good night's rest. Ok?"

"Yes, mother" Owen said sarcastically.

"Goodnight Jack" Adam said nodding his head before leaving.

"Yes, yes, in a minute, just need to sort out my computer" Tosh said hurriedly rushing round her desk towards her precious computer.

Gwen groaned and slowly got up. "Best be going...my head feels all fuzzy and messed up"

Jack walked up to her and put a hand on her forehead. No temperature, he sighed in relief. "Get some rest Gwen, I don't want you getting ill on me" he said kissing her forehead and giving her a kick on armed hug. "Tell that boyfriend of yours to treat you like a princess, my orders"

She snuggled into his shoulder, her dry lips pressing to his neck. "I'm just glad you're here" she murmured before leaving.

Jack stood there silently; he couldn't help but feel confused as the others walked round in a strange sort of daze around him. From the corner of his eye he saw a little boy. A boy with long-ish brown hair and pudgy little fingers.

"Gray?" he murmured.

The boy had vanished.

*

_The world was silent. People hid in their houses as they walked the streets, trying to find Jack. Trying to find a way to stop the Master. Trying to find this Martha Jones. Japan was burned and gone; many people were slaughtered day in and day out. And everything had almost given up hope. Even them. _

_Blood. So much blood, dark red dripping from her. The screams, the anguish, why the hell her? Why did she have to die? Why not someone else? Why not him? He deserved to die more than she ever did. He committed more sins than her._

"_Ok" a malicious, grinning, goading voice said. "You want to die to? I can give you that, after all I am a very generous Lord and Master" he laughed. A maniacal laugh. "This is going to be so fun. Jackie-Boy is going to be so heartbroken when I show him his precious little children's corpses"_

_The torture. Both physical and mental burned him painfully. But none of it, not a single bit of the pain, had hurt as much as seeing Tosh lying there dead. Without her sweet quiet soul smiling softly at him. Never again would he see her smile or hear her babble about something stupid or reach out and touch some gently he couldn't even feel it. _

_That was what hurt the most. _

_When everything went black and silent. When all the pain stopped and he almost felt that gentle touch of Tosh's. Owen realised that Jack was going to feel the exact pain and torture he had. _

_Too many people dead. Too many little children, old people and good healthy men and women. Too many homes being destroyed. Too many lives ruined. Too much heartbreak. Lisa had been dead long ago and he was glad she would never see this devastation. His sister, he didn't know if she was alive or not. Part of him hoped she was dead so she didn't suffer watching her children being torn apart or her husband tortured to death. Jack was somewhere, either flirting with someone in a bar in another galaxy away or up there with the Master as a prisoner. Either way he wasn't with Ianto. _

_Gwen was out there somewhere. Fighting, resisting, and helping, just like always. Sometimes he wondered if her spirit would ever get broken. _

_Owen and Tosh were dead. He knew it from the bottom of his heart. Heard the whispers long ago when he reached Italy. Saw the evidence when the Master broadcasted one of the most sickening shows. Ianto felt sick to his stomach and had vomited when he watched the Master encourage his disgusting cronies, the ones that enjoyed what they did, molest the dead bodies. _

_He collapsed on the floor. Hungry. Ever so hungry and thirsty. He was...well he wasn't sure where he was...but he hadn't eaten in weeks and it's been so long since he had water. If he died here...then at least he would be in peace. He rather die and be found by some locals than be captured and tortured by the Master. _

_A woman. A woman with fiery red hair. She touched his cheek gently and he flinched. "Granddad!" she called in cockney English. "I found another one! He looks dehydrated, quickly get some water!"_

_He was unexpectedly saved. He wasn't sure if wanted to be though. _

_Hazy images. Images of people she never met, images of places she never been, images of devastation that she hoped to never see. She hoped Rhys was ok. She hated any idea of him not sitting in the flat watching football with a can of beer in hand. Andy too, he was her best friend and she hated if he was doing anything but hiding. Then again knowing the blonde Welshman he would be out there fighting with the resistance just as she was. _

_She used to be. _

_She met Martha Jones and knew where Jack was. She knew Martha had a plan and had planned to stick with helping the small people rather than interfere. But then she stupidly, stupidly got herself captured. _

_The cold grey surrounding her was only warmer than the cold metal floor she laid on. She tried to remain calm but it was so hard to knowing she was going to meet the man that killed Owen and Tosh. That dared to do such disgusting vile stuff to them. _

_She soon found that the grey walls were far warmer than his empty eyes. _

*

Jack left the Hub empty. He came back slightly shaken as he thought he saw Gray again while hunting the stray weevil. However it was a lovely day, the sun was shining and Ianto should be in making coffee. So Jack came into the full Hub whistling cheerfully, his whistle died quite quickly at the sight he saw.

Gwen sat in a corner, arms around her legs while she rocked back and forth murmuring to herself.

Ianto was crying silently at a desk.

Tosh was shivering violently in Owen's arms that were holding onto her as if she was air itself.

Adam looked smug. Satisfied. Like he had several orgasms'.

"What's going on?" Jack demanded.

The smug look vanished and Adam looked equally worried. "I don't know Jack; they've been acting weird all day yesterday as well. I think some sort of alien is influencing them"

Jack nodded. "Possible. Loads of telepathic races out there" he wondered silently why Adam wasn't affected at all. "Adam, go research what telepathic aliens we bumped into in the past century. I'll sort the others out"

"Yes, sir"

He waited till Adam was seated at a computer before he turned to Gwen. Slowly he made his way to her, kneeling down at her level and reaching out to her. "Gwen?" he said gently.

She flinched. Her terrified green eyes met his concerned blue and she let out a shaky sigh. "Jack" she whispered. "Oh Jack is it really you?"

"Of course it is" Jack said softly squeezing her shoulder. She winced slightly, not liking his touch for some reason. "Who else could it be? No can pull of this sort of perfection"

She let out a pathetic almost tearful snort. "He can pretend to be you rather well"

"Who is he?"

"He...he's done bad things Jack. He makes me think he's you and when I go to him, he...he does such awful things"

He squeezed her shoulder harder, a burning fury eating away at him because someone touched a member of his team. Someone had touched his Gwen. "I'll kill him" he swore.

She sobbed a little. "But it won't bring Tosh and Owen back will it? He killed them, he killed them and then...then he did terrible things to them"

Even more reason to kill that bastard then.

She was trembling. "The things he's done to you" she whimpered. "Oh Jack, how could you cope with that?"

"I've been through worse" Jack said truthfully. He's been through so many traumatic and torturous moments that he was sure he's been through worse than whatever this alien dreamt up.

"The Master is the devil from hell. There is no worse" Gwen hissed suddenly clinging to him. "Don't let him near Ianto, don't let him hurt Ianto"

"I won't, don't worry Gwen I'll never let anything happen to Ianto" Jack said soothingly as he stroked Gwen's hair. She was trembling so much, as if she was starting to have an attack. "Adam get some sedatives" he called out.

"Yes, sir"

Within a few moments Gwen was still in his arms. Tears still rolling down her pale cheeks as Adam picked her up and laid her down on the sofa. Jack got up from the floor and made his way to Ianto. "Yan? What's up Yan?" Jack said softly, trying to keep his anger under control. The Master, Gwen had said, the Master was back somehow and he needed the right information before he called the Doctor.

"J-J-Jack?" Ianto stammered. "Oh J-J-Jack, it's awful...there's so much death, so much devastation. I'm so alone Jack. They're all dead but me. All gone...even little Katrina..." Ianto slumped down on the desk as Adam injected sedatives into his arm, unnoticed by Ianto. "Jack...don't let him win..."

"I won't" Jack promised kissing Ianto's forehead. "Adam, I want you to sedate the other two. I have a phone call to make"

"Yes, sir"

Jack froze. "Since when did you call me sir?" he asked.

Adam shrugged. "I've always called you sir. It would be considered as sexual harassment if I did otherwise, you should keep that in mind sir"

"Yeah..." Jack said before taking out his mobile. He scrolled down his address book before he got to M; he clicked on the button and listen to the phone ring four times before she picked up. "Martha, I need you to get the Doctor. It's my team...they remember...everything, yes the Master, the year, everything. It's either that or the Master is back and I know which one I prefer..."

*

_It was brutal. Ever so brutal. Each thrust, each shove, each slap. She quit screaming afterwards, stopped begging him to stop and just laid there crying silently as her torture continued. Afterwards he would drag her by the hair and throw her in Jack's cell. Make her watch as his guards torture Jack. Killing him again and again and again and again. Never-ending death. It was unbearable. _

_She wished to die._

_They were going to shoot him. Kill him. She just couldn't let it happen. A world without Owen Harper was an empty world for her. She loved him with every cell and fibre of her being. For him to die would be death itself for her. So she leaped in the way of the bullet. _

_And died herself. _

_Dead. She was dead. Toshiko Sato was dead. So he begged and begged for death. He never had much to love in his life. No family other than a mother that hated him. A mother that died in the first wave of Tolcafane. Jack was gone. Gwen and Ianto could be dead for all he knew. Kate had died years ago and now Tosh. Out of everyone he knew, he never really believed Tosh would leave him._

_Death...was a relief. _

_He stood there amongst the crowd. The only survivor of Torchwood Three. Like he was the only survivor of Torchwood One. He seems to survive chaos. A punishment from a crime he committed in a past life, maybe? All hope had practically been lost. But then he met Donna Noble, a gobby redhead who told him a story. A story about a doctor. Jack's Doctor. The Doctor. So there he stood, with a little flame of hope burning in his chest as he chanted the magic word. _

_But secretly he hoped for death. _

_*_

The Doctor sat there, one leg over the other, glasses on and in deep thought. Jack paced the room worriedly and Adam perched on a desk watching with a hawk-like gaze.

"It's just...how the hell is it possible? Why are they remembering? It never happened, and...Fucking hell Doctor, they shouldn't have to remember that! Gwen shouldn't have to remember being raped day in and day out, Tosh and Owen shouldn't be remembering dying and Ianto shouldn't have remembered all that horror. So what the fuck is going on?"

"Jack" the Doctor said whipping his glasses off and leaning forwards. "How long has Adam been apart of your team?"

"Oh for years" Jack shrugged. "Even before Owen and Tosh"

"So shouldn't he be remembering too?"

Jack was silent.

"Oh I have heard of you" Adam drawled from his seat. "The great and wonderful Doctor. The Oncoming Storm, all sorts. You have so many wonderful memories there. Memories of places and people and wars. I could feast for centuries on those"

"A Chameleon of sorts" the Doctor said cheerfully. "You manipulate people's memories and feed on them. They think you're their world and you lap it all up"

"Torchwood is so interesting. They were practically calling for me, especially Jack Harkness. He has so much he wants to forget" Adam licked his lips. "Unfortunately the team is so fucked up with so many memories that aren't supposed to be there that my plan didn't work"

"Yes, yes my fault. I had an old school friend who destroyed the world, I had to reverse time and make it like it never happened" the Doctor said dismissively. "Now, as much as I would love to get to know you I have a feeling I'll end up forgetting something very important if I shook your hand"

"Oh but Doctor, wouldn't you rather forget all that pain and hurt? You could be a new man, no more Time War or companions that break your heart...no more Rose"

The Doctor stood up, the cold dark look of the Oncoming Storm burning brightly in his eyes. "You leave her out of this"

"But wouldn't you and Jack prefer to forget her?" Adam said widening his eyes innocently. "She made you all better but for what? So she could let go and disappear? To be sacrificed for the sake of the universe?"

"Shut up, you bastard" Jack roared punching Adam in the jaw, sending the redhead flying across the Hub.

"Blimey" the Doctor said loosening his tie. "You knocked him out"

"He deserved it" Jack said bitterly. "Now, how do we get rid of this git?"

The Doctor put a hand on Jack's shoulder. "How do you feel about having amnesia?"

"I'm not a big fan of it, why?"

"You and your team need to forget the last couple days"

*

_Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor. _

"_His name is the Doctor, and he is wonderful. He saved the world more times than you can count and he never got the credit for it"_

_Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor. _

"_Is he Jack's Doctor?"_

"_Jack Harkness?"_

"_You know him?"_

"_Met him when all this mess started, yeah he knows the Doctor"_

_Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor. _

"_I found Jack"_

"_Well, then where the hell is he?"_

"_Up there, with Saxon"_

"_Oh buggering hell, we're doomed aren't we?"_

_Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor. _

"_Just don't die"_

"_I love you...Owe...."_

"_I said don't die! TOSH!" _

_Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor. _

"_I'm all alone now"_

"_Rubbish! You listen here Tea-Boy, I may just be a temp but I know the Doctor. He's working his butt off saving us. We're all in this together, him included. So you're not alone, got that?"_

"_That made no sense at all"_

"_Don't make me slap you"_

_Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor. _

_*_

They woke up to a grinding noise. A loud engine grating away. They groaned and clutched at their head, a headache pounding in their temples. A right hangover.

"Bloody hell, what did we do?" Owen growled.

"Don't know" Tosh yawned.

"We look like a right state" Gwen complained. "Even Ianto looks like he's been through the gutter"

"Thanks" Ianto said dryly.

Jack rushed towards them and grabbed all five into a strangling group hug. "You all right?"

"Air...need...air" Owen gasped.

"Oh sorry" Jack said releasing them. "But you are ok?"

"In serious need of aspirin and caffeine but other than that we're fine" Ianto said. "Why?"

"Don't know" Jack shrugged. "I just had this feeling you were all in danger"

"Don't be paranoid, it doesn't fit your image as a playboy" Owen said. "I need a fry-up, reckon we can escape of a cafe?"

"Yes! Let's go and eat" Gwen said. "I need comfort food, I feel like I just been through a nightmare"

"That time of the month, then?"

Gwen slapped Owen and the others laughed. Jack chuckling deeply as a small part of him sighed in relief. Something happened. He wasn't sure what but it had been damaging.

It was almost like they had relived some sort of twisted nightmare.


End file.
